Do your kids beg for Spaghettios for lunch? Adults and children alike enjoy shoving heaping teaspoons of this cheesy round pasta in tomato sauce into their mouths. It’s the ultimate in convenience – just open a can and microwave. But are Spaghettios healthy? Get the inside scoop on this popular lunchtime option.
Are Spaghettios Healthy?
To their credit, Campbell Soup Company has made strides in the area of health and nutrition recently. They’ve reduced the sodium in their cans of Spaghettios by almost 40%, and they’re proud to say that a serving of Spaghettios contains a full serving of vegetables – thanks to the tomato paste. They also supply healthy recipes that feature Spaghettios as the main ingredient. But have they gone far enough?
What’s in Spaghettios?
Spaghettios is a blend of tomato paste, macaroni, high fructose corn syrup, modified cheddar cheese, vegetable oil, butter, spices and non-fat dry milk. It’s also fortified with thiamine, niacin, riboflavin and iron.
Calories in Spaghettios
A one-cup serving of Spaghettios has 239 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat (0 grams of trans-fat), 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 32 milligrams of carbohydrates (9 grams of sugar), 4 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein.
What’s Good and Bad about Spaghettios?
Other than its convenience and low price, Campbell should be commended for lowering the sodium and removing the trans-fat from Spaghettios. They also use pasta fortified with B vitamins, and a serving has a fair amount of bone-building calcium and iron. Spaghettios also has 10% of the day’s requirements of vitamin A for healthy vision and vitamin D for bone health. The tomato paste contains lycopenes, which is a good antioxidant. It’s also a good source of muscle-building protein.
But don’t confuse it with health food. Spaghettios still contains 660 milligrams of sodium, which is almost a quarter of the day’s upper limit, and it contains high fructose corn syrup, a controversial sweetener that some experts say contributes to obesity, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It’s also a processed food, as you can see from the lack of fresh ingredients on the label. Finally, it comes in a can that’s lined with bisphenol-A (BPA), which is a health hazard.
Is Spaghettios Healthy: The Bottom Line?
Campbell Soup Company has made an effort to make Spaghettios healthier, and they’ve made some positive changes by lowering the sodium and removing the trans-fat. In a bind, a can of Spaghettios offers a quick meal that’s filling, but it’s too processed and high in sodium and sugar to be a frequent choice. A bowl of Campbell vegetable soup and a few whole-grain crackers with peanut butter would be a better choice if you’re in a rush. When you have a craving for Spaghetti, make it using whole-grain pasta and tomato sauce -without the added sugar and salt.
References:
Campbell Soup website.
Self Nutrition Data. “Spaghettios”
Food Processing Magazine. January 2011. Page 18.
